Method and apparatus for determining item based on interaction environment

ABSTRACT

A method and an apparatus for using a device to determine an item, such as, for example, a card based on an interaction environment, such as, for example, a settlement environment, are provided. The method by which a device determines a card to be used in a settlement includes: acquiring a card use history of a card, which is stored in the device; acquiring information which relates to a settlement environment of the device; determining a card to be used in the settlement, based on the acquired information relating to the settlement environment and the acquired card use history; and providing settlement information which relates to the determined card to a point of sale (POS) terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/975,416 filedAug. 26, 2013, which claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2012-0093294, filed on Aug. 24, 2012, and Korean Patent ApplicationNo. 10-2013-0096193, filed on Aug. 13, 2013, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Exemplary embodiments relate to a method and apparatus for determiningan item, such as, for example, a card, which is used in an interaction,such as, for example, a settlement, based on an interaction environment,such as, for example, a settlement environment.

2. Description of the Related Art

Due to the rapid development of the computer network environment,internet-based electronic commerce is in widespread use by the public.When purchasing goods online, an account transfer between banks and acredit card are often used as a settlement method, and recently,electronic money, which may be in the form of an electronic wallet orelectronic cards, has been widely used.

In addition, recently, at the time of bank financial transactions orcommercial transactions, payment settlements using a mobile terminalhave increased. A memory capacity of a chip card has been greatlyincreased in conjunction with the development of an integrated circuit(IC) chip card, and thus, multiple cards may be stored in a single chipcard. A side key or a hot key is attached to one side of a mobileterminal which is mounted with an IC chip card, and may be used at thetime of a payment settlement. However, in order for a user to settle upby using a card stored in a mobile terminal, a settlement key should bepressed after unlocking the mobile terminal and then selecting a desiredcard by pressing an operation key via a menu-driven interface, whichresults in a great deal of inconvenience.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments provide a method and apparatus that determine asuitable card with respect to various settlement environments andfacilitate performance of a settlement by using the determined card.

According to an aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, there isprovided a method for determining, by using a device, a card to be usedin a settlement, the method including: acquiring a card use history of acard which is usable via the device; acquiring information which relatesto a settlement environment of the device; determining, by using thedevice, the card to be used in the settlement, based on the acquiredinformation which relates to the settlement environment and the acquiredcard use history; and providing settlement information which relates tothe determined card to a point of sale (POS) terminal.

The acquiring the information which relates to the settlementenvironment may include acquiring information which relates to alocation of the device, and the determining the card may includedetermining the card to be used in the settlement based on the acquiredinformation which relates to the location of the device.

The determining the card may include extracting cards which relate tothe settlement environment based on the card use history, comparingrespective benefits of the extracted cards with each other, and using aresult of the comparing to determine a recommendation with respect to acard to be used in the settlement.

The card use history may include at least one of a card number, asettlement time, a settlement date, a settlement location, and a name ofgoods.

An image of the card which relates to the determined recommendation maybe displayed on an unlock screen of the device, and the determining thecard may include determining the card based on a received user inputwhich relates to the card image displayed on the unlock screen of thedevice.

When the settlement to be conducted by using the determined card issafely performable, at least a portion of a settlement window of thedetermined card may be displayed in a predetermined color.

The method may further include receiving information which relates togoods from the POS terminal, wherein the received information whichrelates to the goods includes at least one of a current date, a currenttime, an expiration date of the goods, an identification value of thegoods, a cost of the goods, and an identification value of a memberstore which corresponds to the POS terminal.

The method may further include determining a display mode of the device,wherein the determining the card includes determining whether to displaya list of recommended cards on a screen of the device based on thedetermined display mode and selecting a card to be used in thesettlement based on a received user input which relates to the displayedlist of recommended cards.

The display mode may include at least one of a horizontal view mode anda vertical view mode.

The receiving the information which relates to the goods from the POSterminal may include receiving the information which relates to thegoods from the POS terminal via near field communication (NFC), and theproviding the settlement information which relates to the determinedcard may include providing the settlement information to the POSterminal via NFC.

According to another aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, thereis provided a device for determining a card to be used in a settlement,the device including: a card history storage which is configured tostore a card use history of a card which is usable via the device; asettlement environment information acquirer which is configured toacquire information which relates to a settlement environment of thedevice; a card selector which is configured to select a card to be usedin the settlement, based on the acquired information which relates tothe settlement environment and the stored card use history; and a cardinformation provider which is configured to provide settlementinformation which relates to the selected card to a point of sale (POS)terminal.

The settlement environment information acquirer may be furtherconfigured to acquire information which relates to a location of thedevice, and the card selector may be further configured to determine thecard to be used in the settlement based on the acquired informationwhich relates to the location of the device.

The card selector may be further configured to extract cards whichrelate to the settlement environment based on the stored card usehistory, to compare respective benefits of the extracted cards with eachother, and to use a result of the comparison to determine arecommendation with respect to a card to be used in the settlement.

The card use history may include at least one of a card number, asettlement time, a settlement date, a settlement location, and a name ofgoods.

An image of the card which relates to the determined recommendation maybe displayed on an unlock screen of the device, and the card selectormay be further configured to select the card based on a received userinput which relates to the card image displayed on the unlock screen ofthe device.

When the settlement to be conducted by using the selected card is safelyperformable, at least a portion of a settlement window of the selectedcard may be displayed in a predetermined color.

The card selector may be further configured to determine whether todisplay a list of recommended cards on a screen of the device based on adisplay mode of the device, and to select a card to be used in thesettlement based on a received user input which relates to the displayedlist of recommended cards.

The display mode may include at least one of a horizontal view mode anda vertical view mode.

The card information provider may be further configured to provide thesettlement information to the POS terminal via near field communication(NFC).

According to another aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, thereis provided a method for using a first device in conjunction with aperformance of an interaction between a first user and a second user,the first device including a user graphical interface for providing aninput/output capability with respect to the first user, and the methodincluding: accessing information which relates to each of a plurality ofitems which are associated with the first user, the informationincluding first item information which at least relates to a use historyof a first item and second item information which at least relates to ause history of a second item; acquiring environmental information whichrelates to an environment in which the interaction is to be performed;using the first device to select, from among the plurality of items, anitem for use in conjunction with the performance of the interaction,based on the accessed information and the acquired environmentalinformation, and to generate information which relates to theperformance of the interaction based on a result of the selection;transmitting, to a second device which is associated with the seconduser, the generated information which relates to the performance of theinteraction; and displaying, via the graphical user interface and on ascreen of the first device, at least a part of the generated informationwhich relates to the performance of the interaction.

The first item information may include a plurality of first iteminformation characteristics, the second item information may include aplurality of second item information characteristics, and theenvironmental information may include a plurality of environmentalinformation characteristics. The using the device to select a card mayinclude assigning respective priority values to each of the plurality ofitems for each of the plurality of environmental informationcharacteristics and assigning respective weights to each of the firstitem information characteristics, each of the second item informationcharacteristics, and each of the environmental informationcharacteristics.

The first item information may further relate to at least one perquisitewhich accrues to the first user in conjunction with using the firstitem, and the second item information may further relate to at least oneperquisite which accrues to the first user in conjunction with using thesecond item.

The method may further include prompting the first user to provide inputvia the graphical user interface of the first device with respect to theplurality of items. The using the first device to select an item may befurther based on a received user input which is received as a result ofthe prompting.

The prompting may include displaying, via the graphical user interfaceand on the screen of the device, item-specific information which relatesto at least one of the plurality of items.

The prompting may include displaying, via the user interface and on thescreen of the device, a plurality of images, each of which respectivelycorresponds to a respective one of the plurality of items, andproviding, on the display of the device, an indication which relates toa recommendation which is based on the accessed information and theacquired environmental information.

The method may further include using the first device to receiveauthentication information which relates to the first user with respectto the selected item, and using the received authentication informationto determine whether the interaction is safely performable.

The acquiring the environmental information may include acquiringinformation which relates to a location of the first device, and theusing the first device to select the item may include using the firstdevice to select the item based on the acquired environmentalinformation which relates to the location of the first device.

The environmental information may include at least one of a currentdate, a current time, an expiration date which relates to theinteraction, an identification value which relates to the interaction,identifying information which relates to the second user, andidentifying information which relates to the second device.

The method may further include determining a display mode of the firstdevice. The using the first device to select the item may includedetermining whether to display a list of recommended items via the userinterface on the screen of the first device based on the determineddisplay mode and selecting an item to be used in the interaction basedon a received user input which relates to the displayed list ofrecommended items.

The display mode may include at least one of a horizontal view mode anda vertical view mode.

The acquiring the environmental information may include receiving theenvironmental information from the second device via near fieldcommunication (NFC), and the transmitting the generated informationwhich relates to the interaction may include transmitting the generatedinformation to the second device via NFC.

According to another aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, thereis provided a first device for use in conjunction with a performance ofan interaction between a first user and a second user. The first deviceincludes: a memory which is configured to store item-related informationwhich relates to each of a plurality of items which are associated withthe first user, the information including first item information whichat least relates to a use history of a first item and second iteminformation which at least relates to a use history of a second item; atransceiver which is configured to receive environmental informationwhich relates to an environment in which the interaction is to beperformed; and a processor which is configured to select, from among theplurality of items, an item for use in conjunction with the performanceof the interaction, based on the stored item-related information and thereceived environmental information, and to generate information whichrelates to the performance of the interaction based on a result of theselection. The transceiver is further configured to transmit, to asecond device which is associated with the second user, the generatedinformation which relates to the performance of the interaction.

The first item information may include a plurality of first iteminformation characteristics, the second item information may include aplurality of second item information characteristics, and theenvironmental information may include a plurality of environmentalinformation characteristics. The processor may be further configured toassign respective priority values to each of the plurality of items foreach of the plurality of environmental information characteristics andto assign respective weights to each of the first item informationcharacteristics, each of the second item information characteristics,and each of the environmental information characteristics.

The first item information may further relate to at least one perquisitewhich accrues to the first user in conjunction with using the first itemand the second item information may further relate to at least oneperquisite which accrues to the first user in conjunction with using thesecond item.

The processor may be further configured to cause a display of the firstdevice to display prompting information which relates to prompting thefirst user to provide input with respect to the plurality of items, andto select the item from among the plurality of items based on the storeditem-related information, the received environmental information, and areceived user input which is received in response to the displayedprompting information.

The processor may be further configured to cause the display to displayitem-specific information which relates to at least one of the pluralityof items.

The processor may be further configured to cause the display to displaya plurality of images, each of which respectively corresponds to arespective one of the plurality of items, and to display an indicationwhich relates to a recommendation which is based on the storedinformation and the received environmental information.

The transceiver may be further configured to receive authenticationinformation which relates to the first user with respect to the selecteditem. The processor may be further configured to use the receivedauthentication information to determine whether the interaction issafely performable.

The transceiver may be further configured to receive information whichrelates to a location of the first device. The processor may be furtherconfigured to select the item based on the received information whichrelates to the location of the first device.

The environmental information may include at least one of a currentdate, a current time, an expiration date which relates to theinteraction, an identification value which relates to the interaction,identifying information which relates to the second user, andidentifying information which relates to the second device.

The processor may be further configured to determine a display mode ofthe first device, and to determine whether to display a list ofrecommended items on a display of the first device based on thedetermined display mode, and to select the item to be used in theinteraction based on a received user input which relates to thedisplayed list of recommended items.

The display mode may include at least one of a horizontal view mode anda vertical view mode.

The transceiver may be further configured to receive the environmentalinformation from the second device via near field communication (NFC),and to transmit the generated information which relates to theinteraction to the second device via NFC.

According to another aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, thereis provided a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium havingrecorded thereon a program for executing the method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present inventiveconcept will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplaryembodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a settlement system forperforming a settlement for a transaction which involves goods by usinga card which is selected based on a settlement environment, according toan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a device isused to select a card for a settlement based on a settlement environmentand by which the device is used to provide card information whichrelates to the selected card, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a devicedisplays a recommended card list and selects a card to be used in asettlement according to a received user input, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a table which shows a priority for each card, which is set bya device in correspondence with items which are included in a settlementhistory;

FIG. 5 is a table which shows benefit information for each cardrecommended by a device;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a deviceextracts a card based on a priority of a settlement environment,according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram which illustrates an example in which a devicedisplays a list of recommended cards in a horizontal view mode;

FIG. 8 is a diagram which illustrates an example in which card imagesare displayed on an unlock screen of a device;

FIG. 9 shows diagrams which illustrate respective examples of asettlement window which is displayed on a screen of a device;

FIG. 10 is a diagram which illustrates an example in which cardinformation is displayed on an unlock screen of a device;

FIG. 11 shows diagrams which illustrate respective examples in whichcard information is displayed in detail on the screen of a device, basedon a display mode thereof;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a device, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a device, according to another exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a devicematches location information with card information, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a devicerecommends a card based on location information, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a devicematches a store name extracted from user's schedule information with acard, according to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a devicedisplays card information about a card matched to a predetermined storename, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a card related toa location of a device or a store name is displayed on a screen of thedevice, according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the present inventive concept will now be described morefully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplaryembodiments are shown. The present inventive concept may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as beinglimited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseexemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the present inventiveconcept to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the followingdescription, well-known functions or constructions are not described indetail so as not to obscure the present disclosure with unnecessarydetail. Also, throughout the specification, like reference numerals inthe drawings denote like elements.

Throughout the specification, it will also be understood that when anelement is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it canbe directly connected to the other element, or electrically connected tothe other element while intervening elements may also be present. Also,when a part “includes” or “comprises” an element, unless there is aparticular description contrary thereto, the part can further includeother elements, not excluding the other elements.

Also, throughout the specification, it will be understood that when anelement A and an element B perform short-range communication, this meansthat the element A is located within a communication range of theelement B and/or the element

B is located within a communication range of the element A.

Also, a card that is described throughout the specification refers to acard which is usable in relation to a transactional settlement for goodsand services, and examples of the card may include a credit card, amileage card, and a points card. However, the exemplary embodiments arenot limited thereto.

Hereinafter, the present inventive concept will be described in detailby explaining exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to theattached drawings. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when precedinga list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modifythe individual elements of the list.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a settlement system forperforming a settlement for a transaction which involves goods by usinga card which is selected depending on a settlement environment,according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the settlement system includes a device 1000, apoint of sale (POS) terminal 2000, and a settlement server 3000.

The device 1000 is used to select a suitable card based on a settlementenvironment, and provides card information which relates to the selectedcard to the POS terminal 2000. The POS terminal 2000 provides receivedsettlement information to the settlement server 3000, and may cause thesettlement server 3000 to perform the settlement by using the device1000.

The device 1000 may store card information which relates to a user'scard and card benefit information which relates to benefits of theuser's card. Also, the device 1000 may store a card settlement historyof a user with respect to time, place, and a purpose of a settlement.The device 1000 may provide a recommendation which relates to a cardbased on a settlement environment of the device 1000, based on thestored card information and card settlement history. Also, the device1000 may determine whether to automatically select a card to be used ina settlement or to select a card to be used in a settlement based on areceived user input, based on a display mode.

The device 1000 may be any one or more of a smartphone, a mobile phone,a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a media player, aglobal positioning system (GPS) apparatus, and/or any other mobile ornon-mobile computing devices. However, the device 1000 is not limitedthereto.

In another exemplary embodiment, the block diagram of FIG. 1 can beunderstood as representing a system for performing an interactionbetween a first user and a second user. The device 1000 can beunderstood as being associated with the first user, and the device 2000can be understood as being associated with the second user. Although theabove-described exemplary embodiment refers to the interaction as beinga settlement, other interactions may be performed.

For example, a traveler may be preparing to fly on an airplane and mayneed to check in to obtain a boarding pass and/or to check baggage. Insuch a scenario, the traveler may be understood as being a first user,and the airline company may be understood as being the second user. Thesecond device 2000 may be, for example, a kiosk at the airport, or acomputer which is linked to the airline's web site on the Internet. Thetraveler may have a mobile phone which acts as a first device 1000, andthe mobile phone may display images which correspond to items, such as,for example, a passport, a driver's license, and a personal credit card,which can be used for the purpose of checking in for the flight and/orchecking baggage.

As another example, a social media user may be preparing to uploadinformation which relates to a recent experience. In this scenario, thesocial media user may be understood as being a first user, and thesecond user may be the social media web site. The second device may be,for example, any terminal which may be used to access the social mediaweb site. The social media user may have a mobile phone which acts as afirst device 1000, and the mobile phone may display images whichcorrespond to items, such as, for example, photographs, text messages,and uniform resource locator (URL) links, which can be selectable forthe purpose of uploading information to the social media site.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which the device1000 is used to select a card for a settlement based on a settlementenvironment and by which the device 1000 is used to provide cardinformation which relates to the selected card, according to anexemplary embodiment.

In operation S200, the device 1000 stores card information and cardbenefit information. The device 1000 may store card information whichrelates to a user's card based on input which is received from the user.The card information may include, for example, information which relatesto any one or more of the type of a card, a card number, and theexpiration date of a card. Also, the device 1000 may receive cardinformation from the settlement server 3000, and may store the receivedcard information. The settlement server 3000 may be a server that isoperated by a credit card company, but the present exemplary embodimentis not limited thereto. In this case, the device 1000 may provide userprofile information stored in the device 1000 to the settlement server3000, and may receive card information corresponding to the provideduser profile information from the settlement server 3000. In addition,if a user has a newly issued card, the device 1000 may receive cardinformation which relates to the newly issued card.

Further, the device 1000 may store card benefit information for eachcard stored in the device 1000 based on a received user input. Thedevice 1000 may provide a user interface for facilitating input of cardbenefit information, and a user may input card benefit information foreach card stored in the device 1000 via the user interface. The device1000 may receive card benefit information from the settlement server3000, and may store the received card benefit information. The cardbenefit information may be stored after being matched to each card. Thecard benefit information may include, for example, discount information,points accumulation information, and coupon information. Further, thecard benefit information may include information which relates todifferent benefits from member stores where a card is used.

In operation S205, the device 1000 stores a card use history whichrelates to a user. The card use history may include, for example, anyone or more of a card number used in a settlement, a settlement time, asettlement date, a member store's name, a settlement location, a name ofgoods, and information which relates to a benefit provided at the timeof a card settlement. When a user conducts a settlement by using a cardvia the device 1000, the device 1000 may store a use history of a cardused in the settlement. However, the present exemplary embodiment is notlimited thereto. Information which relates to a card use history, whichis received via the device 1000, may be stored and accumulated in thesettlement server 3000, and the device 1000 may receive the informationwhich relates to the card use history that is stored in the settlementserver 3000 from the settlement server 3000.

In operation S210, the device 1000 acquires information which relates toa settlement environment. When a user attempts a card settlement via thedevice 1000, the device 1000 may acquire the information which relatesto a settlement environment. The device 1000 may acquire the informationwhich relates to a settlement environment from at least one of a sensorin the device 1000, the POS terminal 2000, and the settlement server3000. The information which relates to a settlement environment mayinclude, for example, any one or more of a settlement time, a settlementlocation, a member store's name, and information which relates to goods.

In detail, the device 1000 may acquire information which relates to alocation of the device 1000, and may identify a member store to be usedfor performing a settlement based on the acquired location information.For example, the device 1000 may determine a GPS value for a location ofthe device 1000 by using a GPS sensor (not shown). Further, the device1000 may determine an identification value of an access point (AP) thatis connected to the device 1000. Furthermore, the device 1000 mayidentify a member store in which the device 1000 is located, based on atleast one of the GPS value and the identification value of the AP. Inthis case, information which relates to a member store corresponding tothe GPS value and the identification value of the AP may be stored inthe device 1000 or a separate server (not shown) in advance.

The device 1000 may determine information which relates to goods whichmay be involved in a settlement. The device 1000 may determine theinformation which relates to the goods via a marker attached on thegoods. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.The device 1000 may also determine the information which relates to thegoods from the POS terminal 2000. The device 1000 may receive at leastone of a current date, a current time, an expiration date of the goods,an identification value of the goods, a cost of the goods, and anidentification value of a member store which corresponds to the POSterminal 2000. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedthereto.

The device 1000 may determine any one or more of a points accumulationrate for each card, a points accumulation limit for each card, adiscount rate for each card, and a discount limit for each card, basedon information which relates to a member store and to goods. Informationwhich relates to the points accumulation rate, the points accumulationlimit, the discount rate, and the discount limit, according to a memberstore and goods, may be stored in the device 1000 or a separate server(not shown) in advance.

In operation S220, the device 1000 selects a card to be used in asettlement based on a settlement environment.

The device 1000 may determine a card to be used in a settlement under anacquired settlement environment by using any one or more of cardinformation, card benefit information, and a settlement history.

In detail, the device 1000 may extract a card used more than apredetermined number of times within an acquired settlement environment,based on a card settlement history. For example, if a card ‘A’, a card‘B’, a card ‘C’, and a card ‘D’ are usable in a member store ‘Z’ and amember store in an acquired settlement environment is ‘Z’, the device1000 may extract the card ‘A’, the card ‘B’, the card ‘C’, and the card‘D’ from card information. If the card ‘C’ and the card ‘A’ have beenused more than a predetermined number of times in the member store ‘Z’and a member store in an acquired settlement environment is ‘Z’, thedevice 1000 may extract the card ‘C’ and the card ‘A’ from the cardinformation.

In addition, if the card ‘A’, the card ‘B’, the card ‘C’, and the card‘D’ have been used between 11:00 and 14:00 and a settlement timeincluded in an acquired settlement environment is between 11:00 and14:00, the device 1000 may extract the card ‘A’, the card ‘B’, the card‘C’, and the card ‘D’ from the card information. For example, ifpriorities of the card ‘A’ and the card ‘B’ of the cards used between11:00 and 14:00 are relatively high and a member store in an acquiredsettlement environment is ‘Z’, the device 1000 may extract the card ‘A’and the card ‘B’ from the card information. In this case, priorities ofcards may be determined based on a predetermined criterion, or may bedetermined based on a received user input. In addition, a benefit foreach card may be reflected to determine the priorities of cards.However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

The device 1000 may also extract a card based on one or more of aplurality of items included in a settlement history and a settlementenvironment. In this case, the device 1000 may apply a predeterminedweight to each of the plurality of items included in the settlementhistory and the settlement environment, and may determine a card toextract in the acquired settlement environment based on the weights ofthe plurality of items.

In operation S225, the device 1000 recommends a card to be used in asettlement based on the card benefit information. The device 1000 maycompare respective benefits of extracted cards with each other based onthe card benefit information, and may provide a recommendation withrespect to each of a predetermined number or more cards. For example,the device 1000 may extract all of the cards and compare theirrespective benefits with each other in order to pick out the one withthe best benefits with respect to a particular transaction orsettlement. Further, the device 1000 extracts a card and compares itsbenefits with those of other cards. Further, the device 1000 maydetermine a card to recommend based on types of card benefits that auser prefers, and/or the amount of monetary benefit. The device 1000 maydisplay information which relates to a benefit, which is provided foreach card, on a screen, and may allow a user to select a predeterminedcard based on the displayed benefit information.

In this case, the device 1000 may receive the card benefit informationfrom the settlement server 3000. The device 1000 may transmit cardinformation stored in the device 1000 to the settlement server 3000 inorder to receive the card benefit information from the settlement server3000. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

The device 1000 may receive card benefit information from a terminal(not shown) of a member store. In this case, the terminal of the memberstore may transmit types of cards providing benefits at the member storeand information which relates to the benefits to the device 1000 in themember store. The terminal of the member store may provide the benefitinformation to the device 1000 via at least one of a short messageservice (SMS) and a multi-mode service (MMS). However, the presentexemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. Further, the terminal ofthe member store may provide the benefit information to the device 1000via a wireless fidelity (WiFi) network.

Benefit information for each recommended card that is displayed on ascreen of the device 1000 is described below with reference to FIG. 5.

The device 1000 may automatically select a card to be used in asettlement based on a display mode, or may select a card to be used in asettlement based on a received user input. A priority set for each cardbased on items which are included in a settlement history is describedin more detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

The device 1000 may display a list of recommended cards to be used inconnection with a settlement on an unlock screen of the device 1000. Forexample, an image of a recommended card may be displayed on an unlockbutton displayed on the unlock screen of the device 1000. However, thepresent exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

In this case, if a user selects a card image which is displayed on theunlock screen of the device 1000, a user interface which prompts aninput of a personal identification number (PIN) for a selected card maybe displayed. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedthereto. If a user touches a card image which is displayed on the unlockscreen of the device 1000, the device 1000 may recognize a fingerprintof a user based on a touch input which is received from the user, andmay unlock the device 1000 based on the recognized fingerprint in orderto perform a settlement.

In addition, if a user selects a card image which is displayed on theunlock screen of the device 1000, the device 1000 may also authenticatethe user based on the user's image and voice. For example, the device1000 may photograph a user's face, and may determine whether thephotographed user is a user of the selected card which is displayed onthe unlock screen based on the photograph. In addition, for example, thedevice may recognize a user's iris in order to authenticate the user. Inaddition, the device 1000 may record a user's voice in order toauthenticate the user based on the recorded voice.

If a user selects a predetermined card from the recommended card list, asettlement window for the selected card may be displayed on the screenof the device 1000. The settlement window which is displayed on thescreen of the device 1000 may include, for example, any one or more ofcard information, coupon information, a settlement amount, and a PINcode input field. In addition, a user may input a PIN code of theselected card to the PIN code input field so that the settlement via theselected card may be authenticated.

If the settlement via the selected card is safely performable, a portionof the settlement window or the whole settlement window may be displayedin a predetermined color. The device 1000 may determine whethersettlement information which relates to the selected card may be safelytransmitted to the POS terminal 2000 and/or to the settlement server3000, and may display the settlement window in a color which haspreviously been set by a user when a determination is made that thesettlement information may be safely transmitted. The device 1000 mayreceive authentication information from the POS terminal 2000 and thesettlement server 3000 in order to determine whether the settlementinformation which relates to the selected card may be safely transmittedto the POS terminal 2000 and the settlement server 3000. However, thepresent exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

In operation S230, the device 1000 provides card information whichrelates to the selected card. In this case, the device 1000 may providethe card information to the POS terminal 2000 via a local area network(LAN). The device 1000 may provide information which relates to any oneor more of a card number, the expiration date of a card, and/or a PIN ofa card to the POS terminal 2000. However, the present exemplaryembodiment is not limited thereto. In addition, the device 1000 maydetermine whether a coupon which corresponds to the selected card isstored in the device 1000, and may provide the card information whichrelates to the selected card and coupon information stored in the device1000 to the POS terminal 2000. In this case, the POS terminal 2000 maysettle an amount reflecting the coupon information via the settlementserver 3000 by using the card information and the coupon information.However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

The flowchart of FIG. 2 may be also be applicable to other exemplaryembodiments. For example, the flowchart of FIG. 2 may be applicable tothe above-described scenario of the traveler checking in for a flightand/or checking baggage for a flight. In operation S200, the traveler'smobile phone stores information relating to each of a passport, adriver's license, and a credit card, and in operation S205, thetraveler's mobile phone stores use history information with respect toeach of these items. In operation S210, the traveler uses the mobilephone to acquire information which relates to the flight check-in andthe baggage check. In operation S220, the mobile phone selects an itemto be used for performing the check-in and/or the baggage check, and inoperation S225, the mobile phone displays a recommendation on the screento the traveler regarding the item to be used. In operation S230, themobile phone transmits the relevant information regarding the selecteditem to the device 2000 which is used by the airline for completing thecheck-in and baggage check processes, e.g., a kiosk or a link to theairline's web site.

Similarly, the flowchart of FIG. 2 can be applied to the above-describedscenario of the social media user uploading information which relates toa recent experience. In operation S200, the social media user's mobilephone stores information relating to each of photographs, text messages,and URLs, and in operation S205, the social media user's mobile phonestores use history information with respect to each of these items. Inoperation S210, the social media user uses the mobile phone to acquireinformation which relates to the upload, such as, for example, athroughput rate of an available wireless connection by which the uploadmay occur. In operation S220, the mobile phone selects an item to beused in conjunction with performing the upload, and in operation S225,the mobile phone displays a recommendation on the screen to the socialmedia user regarding the item to be used. In operation S230, the mobilephone transmits the relevant information regarding the selected item tothe device 2000 which is used for performing the upload, e.g., acomputer terminal or a Wi-Fi connection at a hotspot.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which the device1000 displays a recommended card list and selects a card to be used in asettlement based on a received user input, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

In operation S300, the device 1000 checks a display mode. The displaymode may include at least one of a horizontal view mode and a verticalview mode. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedthereto.

In operation S310, the device 1000 determines whether the display modeis the horizontal view mode or the vertical view mode. The device 1000may determine whether the display mode is the horizontal view mode orthe vertical view mode by using a gravity sensor in the device 1000.

If a determination is made in operation S310 that the display mode ofthe device 1000 is the horizontal view mode, then in operation S320, thedevice 1000 displays a list of recommended cards. In operation S320, thedevice 1000 may recommend a card to be used in a settlement in anacquired settlement environment by using any one or more of cardinformation, card benefit information, and a settlement history. Forexample, if transportation expenses are settled between 11:00 and 14:00,the device 1000 may recommend the card ‘A’ and the card ‘D’, and maydisplay a list which includes the recommend cards ‘A’ and ‘D’ on ascreen of the device 1000.

In operation S330, the device 1000 selects a card to be used in asettlement based on a received user input. In operation S330, the device1000 may select a card to be used in a settlement, based on a receiveduser input which relates to and/or is responsive to the list ofrecommended cards.

Otherwise, if a determination is made in operation S310 that the displaymode of the device 1000 is the vertical view mode, then in operationS330, the device 1000 may automatically select a card to be used in asettlement without receiving input from the user.

FIG. 4 is a table which shows a priority for each card, which is set bythe device 1000 based on items which are included in a settlementhistory. The priority which is set in the table of FIG. 4 may be usedwhen the device 1000 extracts a card based on a settlement environmentfrom card information. However, the present exemplary embodiment is notlimited thereto.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the table may include a time field 40, alocation field 42, a cost field 44, a points limit field 46, and asettlement purpose field 48. A settlement time and a priority value ofeach card with respect to the settlement time may be recorded in thetime field 40. For example, if the settlement time is between 11:00 and14:00, priority values ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, and ‘4’, which correspond to thecards ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’, respectively, may be recorded in the timefield 40.

Values for a location of the device 1000 are recorded in the locationfield 42. A name of a member store and a priority value of each cardcorresponding to the name of the member store may be stored in thelocation field 42. For example, if the name of the member store is‘member store A’, priority values ‘2’, ‘4’, ‘1’, and ‘3’, whichcorrespond to the cards ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’, respectively, may berecorded in the location field 42.

A settlement amount and a priority value of each card for the settlementamount may be recorded in the cost field 44. For example, if thesettlement amount corresponds to “30,000 won or less,” priority values‘2’, ‘1’,‘3’, and ‘4’, which correspond to the cards ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and‘D’, respectively, may be recorded in the cost field 44.

A points limit amount and a priority value of each card for the pointslimit amount may be recorded in the points limit field 46. For example,if the points limit amount is 30,000 won per month, priority values ‘3’,‘2’, ‘1’,and ‘4’, which correspond to the cards ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’,respectively, may be recorded in the cost field 44.

A purpose of each card and a priority value of each card for the purposemay be recorded in the settlement purpose field 48. For example, if thesettlement purpose relates to transportation expenses, priority values‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’, and ‘1’, which correspond to the cards ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and‘D’, respectively, may be recorded in the settlement purpose field 48.

Weight values ‘10’, ‘10’, ‘20’, ‘40’, and ‘60’ may be recorded in thetime field 40, the location field 42, the cost field 44, the pointslimit field 46, and the settlement purpose field 48, respectively. Forexample, if an amount of ‘30,000 won or less’ is settled between 11:00and 14:00, the priority values of the cards ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’ maybe determined based on a weight value ‘10’ for the time and a weightvalue ‘20’ for the amount.

FIG. 5 is a table which shows benefit information for each cardrecommended by the device 1000.

Referring to the table of FIG. 5, benefit information for each cardrecommended by the device 1000 may be displayed. For example, when thedevice 1000 performs a settlement for goods ‘Y’ at a member store ‘Z’,the device 1000 may recommend the card ‘A’, the card ‘B’, and the card‘C’ based on a settlement environment, and may display a list ofrecommended cards on a screen of the device 1000. In addition, thedevice 1000 may display information which relates to a benefit that isprovided by each card when conducting a settlement which involves thegoods ‘Y’ at the member store ‘Z’. The information which relates to abenefit may include, for example, at least one of discount information,points accumulation information, and coupon information.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which the device1000 extracts a card based on a priority of a settlement environment,according to an exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 6, the device 1000extracts a card based on the table of FIG. 4. However, the presentexemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

In operation S600, the device 1000 determines whether the device 1000performs a settlement at a member store ‘A’. If, in operation S600, adetermination is made that the device 1000 performs a settlement at themember store ‘A’, then in operation S602, the device 1000 extracts thecard ‘C’ from card information. Otherwise, if, in operation S600, adetermination is made that the device 1000 does not perform a settlementat the member store ‘A’, then in operation S604, the device 1000determines whether a settlement is to be performed at lunch time.

If, in operation S604, a determination is made that the settlement is tobe performed at lunch time, then in operation S606, the device 1000extracts the card ‘A’. Otherwise, if, in operation S604, a determinationis made that the settlement is not to be performed at lunch time, thenin operation S608, the device 1000 determines whether a settlementamount is 30,000 won or less.

If, in operation S608, a determination is made that the settlementamount is 30,000 won or less, then in operation S610, the device 1000extracts the card ‘B’. Otherwise, if, in operation S608, a determinationis made that the settlement amount is not 30,000 won or less, then inoperation S612, the device 1000 extracts the card ‘D’.

FIG. 7 is a diagram which illustrates an example in which the device1000 displays a list of recommended cards in the horizontal view mode.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the display mode of the device 1000 isthe horizontal view mode, the list of recommended cards may be displayedon the screen of the device 1000. The device 1000 may determine cardsfor inclusion in the list according to any one or more of variouscriteria, based on a combination of at least one of a settlement time, asettlement location, a settlement purpose, a points accumulation rateaccording to settlement, a points accumulation limit, a discount rateaccording to settlement, and a discount limit. In this case, the device1000 may determine cards for inclusion in the list of recommended cardsby using values which are recorded in either or both of the tables ofFIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, the device 1000 may display a list of thedetermined cards on the screen of the device 1000.

For example, in the case where the settlement time is 13:00, thesettlement purpose is transportation expenses, and a settlement amountis 23,400 won, if the display mode of the device 1000 is the horizontalview mode, the device 1000 may display a list of recommended cards inthe order of the card ‘D’, the card ‘A’, and the card ‘E’, as shown inFIG. 7. Further, the device 1000 may select the card ‘A’ based on areceived user input for the card ‘A’ which is included in the list ofthe recommended cards, and may provide card information which relates tothe selected card ‘A’ to the POS terminal 2000.

If the display mode of the device 1000 is the vertical view mode, thedevice 1000 may automatically select the card ‘D’ without displaying alist of recommended cards, and may transmit card information whichrelates to the selected card ‘D’ to the POS terminal 2000.

FIG. 8 is a diagram which illustrates an example in which card imagesare displayed on an unlock screen of the device 1000.

Referring to FIG. 8, unlock buttons may be displayed on the unlockscreen of the device 1000, and predetermined card images may bedisplayed so as to overlap with the displays of some of the unlockbuttons, respectively. In this case, the card images that are displayedon the unlock buttons may be images of cards that may be used for asettlement via the device 1000. The card images may be arrangedaccording to a previously set basis, based on information which relatesto any one or more of the types of the cards, the points accumulationrates of the cards, and the discount rates of the cards.

FIG. 9 shows diagrams which illustrate respective examples of asettlement window which is displayed on the screen of the device 1000.

When a predetermined card is selected from a list of recommended cardsthat is displayed on the screen of the device 1000, the settlementwindow may be displayed on the screen of the device 1000, as shown indrawing (a) on the left side of FIG. 9. A card name 90, a settlementamount 92, card information 94, and benefit information 96 are includedin the settlement window of drawing (a) on the left side of FIG. 9. Thesettlement amount 92 may include a payment amount for goods and adiscount which applies to the purchase of the goods. The benefitinformation 96 may include, for example, information which relates tocoupons.

When a card settlement is selected in the settlement window of drawing(a) in FIG. 9, a settlement window which prompts a user input of a PINcode of a selected card may be displayed, as shown in drawing (b) on theright side of FIG. 9. A user may input the PIN code via the settlementwindow of drawing (b) of FIG. 9 so that settlement via the selected cardmay be authenticated.

The device 1000 may determine whether settlement information whichrelates to the selected card may be safely transmitted to the POSterminal 2000 and the settlement server 3000, and may display a portion98 of the settlement window of drawing (b) of FIG. 9 in a color whichhas previously been set by a user when a determination is made that thesettlement information may be safely transmitted. In this case, theportion 98 of the settlement window of drawing (b) of FIG. 9 may bedisplayed in a combination of a plurality of colors. However, thepresent exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. The portion 98 ofthe settlement window of drawing (b) of FIG. 9 may be displayed so as toinclude a previously set pattern.

FIG. 10 is a diagram which illustrates an example in which cardinformation is displayed on an unlock screen of the device 1000.

Referring to FIG. 10, a card name, a settlement amount, cardinformation, and benefit information which relates to a recommended cardmay be displayed on the unlock screen of the device 1000. In this case,a user interface (UI) which may be used for unlocking the screen may notbe displayed.

When the device 1000 approaches the POS terminal 2000 within a range ina locked state of the screen of the device 1000, the device 1000 maydisplay card information which relates to a recommended card on theunlock screen of the device 1000. When a user selects the recommendedcard which is displayed on the unlock screen of the device 1000, thedevice 1000 may immediately perform a settlement process by using therecommended card.

FIG. 11 shows diagrams which illustrate respective examples in whichcard information is displayed in detail on the screen of the device 1000based on the display mode thereof.

Referring to drawing (a) on the left side of FIG. 11, when the displaymode of the device 1000 is the vertical view mode, a list 10 of cardsthat may be used in conjunction with the device 1000, information 12which relates to a user's financial standing, and information 14 whichrelates to goods that may be involved in a settlement which is performedby using the device 1000 may be displayed on the screen of the device1000. Some of the cards stored in the device 1000 may be arranged in thelist 10 of cards that may be used in conjunction with the device 1000,and the information 12 which relates to a user's financial standing maybe displayed in detail with a graph or other pictorial type of display.The information 14 which relates to goods that may be involved in asettlement which is performed by using the device 1000 may includedetailed information which relates to goods which are recommended byanother user.

Referring to drawing (b) on the right side of FIG. 11, when the displaymode of the device 1000 is the horizontal view mode, information 16which relates to coupons and a user's financial standing and a list 18of cards that may be used in conjunction with the device 1000 may bedisplayed on the screen of the device 1000. The list 18 of cards thatmay be used in conjunction with the device 1000 may be divided, forexample, into a list of credit cards, a list of identification (ID)cards, a list of points cards, and a list of tickets, and the listsacquired by division may be displayed on the screen of the device 1000.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the device 1000, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12, the device 1000 includes a card informationstorage unit 1100 (also referred to herein as a card informationstorage), a card history storage unit 1105 (also referred to herein as acard history storage), a settlement environment information acquisitionunit 1200 (also referred to herein as a settlement environmentinformation acquirer), a card selection unit 1300 (also referred toherein as a card selector), a card information providing unit 1400 (alsoreferred to herein as a card information provider), a memory 1500, atransceiver 1600, and a controller 1700. Each of the card informationstorage unit 1100, the card history storage unit 1105, the settlementenvironment information acquisition unit 1200, the card selection unit1300, and the card information providing unit 1400 may be embodied, forexample, as a hardware component of the device 1000, or as a softwaremodule which is stored in the device 1000.

The card information storage unit 1100 stores card information and cardbenefit information. The card information storage unit 1100 may storeinformation which relates to cards that a user has, based on a receiveduser input. The card information may include information which relatesto any one or more of the types of the cards, the numbers of the cards,and the expiration dates of the cards. Further, the card informationstorage unit 1100 may receive the card information from the settlementserver 3000, and may store the received card information. The settlementserver 3000 may be a server that is operated by a credit card company,but the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. In thiscase, the card information storage unit 1100 may provide user profileinformation which is stored in the device 1000 to the settlement server3000, and may receive card information corresponding to the provideduser profile information from the settlement server 3000. In addition,if a user has a newly issued card, the device 1000 may receive cardinformation which relates to the newly issued card.

Further, the card information storage unit 1100 may store card benefitinformation for each card stored in the device 1000 based on a receiveduser input. The card information storage unit 1100 may provide a userinterface which facilitates user input of card benefit information, anda user may input card benefit information for each card stored in thedevice 1000 via the user interface. The card information storage unit1100 may receive card benefit information from the settlement server3000, and may store the received card benefit information. The cardbenefit information may be stored after being matched to each card, andmay include, for example, any one or more of discount information,points accumulation information, and coupon information. In addition,the card benefit information may include information which relates todifferent benefits from member stores where a card is used.

The card history storage unit 1105 stores a card use history of a user.The card use history may include, for example, any one or more of a cardnumber used in a settlement, a settlement time, a settlement date, amember store's name, a settlement location, a name of goods, andinformation which relates to a benefit provided at the time of a cardsettlement. When a user settles up with a card via the device 1000, thecard history storage unit 1105 may store a use history of a card used ina settlement. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedthereto. Information which relates to a card use history, which isreceived via the device 1000, may be stored and accumulated in thesettlement server 3000, and the card history storage unit 1105 mayreceive the information which relates to the card use history that isstored in the settlement server 3000 from the settlement server 3000.

The settlement environment information acquisition unit 1200 acquiresinformation which relates to a settlement environment. When a user triesto perform a card settlement by using the device 1000, the settlementenvironment information acquisition unit 1200 may acquire theinformation which relates to a settlement environment. The settlementenvironment information acquisition unit 1200 may acquire theinformation which relates to a settlement environment from at least oneof a sensor in the device 1000, the POS terminal 2000, and thesettlement server 3000. The information which relates to a settlementenvironment may include any one or more of a settlement time, asettlement location, a member store's name, and information whichrelates to goods.

In detail, the settlement environment information acquisition unit 1200may acquire information which relates to a location of the device 1000,and may identify a member store which is suitable for performing asettlement based on the acquired location information. For example, thesettlement environment information acquisition unit 1200 may determine aGPS value for a location of the device 1000 by using a GPS sensor (notshown). Further, the settlement environment information acquisition unit1200 may determine an identification value of an AP which is connectedto the device 1000. Furthermore, the settlement environment informationacquisition unit 1200 may identify a member store in which the device1000 is located, based on at least one of the GPS value and theidentification value of the AP. In this case, information which relatesto a member store corresponding to the GPS value and the identificationvalue of the AP may be stored in the device 1000 or a separate server(not shown) in advance.

The settlement environment information acquisition unit 1200 maydetermine information which relates to goods which may be involved in apotential settlement. The settlement environment information acquisitionunit 1200 may determine the information which relates to the goods via amarker which is attached to the goods. However, the present exemplaryembodiment is not limited thereto. The settlement environmentinformation acquisition unit 1200 may also determine the informationwhich relates to the goods from the POS terminal 2000.

The settlement environment information acquisition unit 1200 maydetermine any one or more of a points accumulation rate for each card, apoints accumulation limit for each card, a discount rate for each card,and a discount limit for each card, based on information which relatesto a member store and goods. Information which relates to the pointsaccumulation rate, the points accumulation limit, the discount rate, andthe discount limit, according to a member store and goods, may be storedin the device 1000 or a separate server (not shown) in advance.

The card selection unit 1300 selects a card to be used in a settlementbased on a settlement environment. The card selection unit 1300 maydetermine a card to be used in a settlement within an acquiredsettlement environment by using any one or more of card information,card benefit information, and a settlement history.

In detail, the card selection unit 1300 may extract a card which hasbeen used more than a predetermined number of times within an acquiredsettlement environment, based on a card settlement history. For example,if a card ‘A’, a card ‘B’, a card ‘C’, and a card ‘D’ are used in amember store ‘A’ and a member store in an acquired settlementenvironment is ‘A’, the card selection unit 1300 may extract the card‘A’, the card ‘B’, the card ‘C’, and the card ‘D’ from card information.If the card ‘C’ and a card ‘A’ have been used more than a predeterminednumber of times in the member store ‘A’ and a member store in anacquired settlement environment is ‘A’, the card selection unit 1300 mayextract the card ‘C’ and the card ‘A’ from the card information.

In addition, if the card ‘A’, the card ‘B’, the card ‘C’, and the card‘D’ are used between 11:00 and 14:00 and a settlement time included inan acquired settlement environment is between 11:00 and 14:00, the cardselection unit 1300 may extract the card ‘A’, the card ‘B’, the card‘C’, and the card ‘D’ from the card information. For example, ifpriorities of the card ‘A’ and the card ‘B’ of the cards used between11:00 and 14:00 are relatively high and a member store in an acquiredsettlement environment is ‘A’, the card selection unit 1300 may extractthe card ‘A’ and the card ‘B’ from the card information. In this case,priorities of cards may be determined based on a predeterminedcriterion, or may be determined based on a received user input. Inaddition, a benefit for each card may be reflected to determine thepriorities of cards. However, the present exemplary embodiment is notlimited thereto.

The card selection unit 1300 may also extract a card based on one ormore of a plurality of items which are included in a settlement historyand a settlement environment. In this case, the card selection unit 1300may apply a predetermined weight to each of the plurality of items whichare included in the settlement history and the settlement environment,and may determine a card to extract in the acquired settlementenvironment based on the respective weights of the plurality of items.

The card selection unit 1300 may compare respective benefits forextracted cards with each other based on the card benefit information,and may provide a recommendation which lists a predetermined number ormore cards. The card selection unit 1300 may determine a card to beincluded in the recommendation based on at least one of types of cardbenefits that a user prefers, or the amount of monetary benefit. Thecard selection unit 1300 may display information which relates to abenefit, which is provided for each card, on a screen, and may enable auser to select a predetermined card based on the displayed benefitinformation.

In this case, the card selection unit 1300 may receive the card benefitinformation from the settlement server 3000. The card selection unit1300 may transmit card information stored in the device 1000 to thesettlement server 3000 in order to receive the card benefit informationfrom the settlement server 3000. However, the present exemplaryembodiment is not limited thereto.

The card selection unit 1300 may receive card benefit information from aterminal (not shown) of a member store. In this case, the terminal ofthe member store may transmit types of cards providing benefits at themember store and information which relates to the benefits to the device1000 in the member store. The terminal of the member store may providethe benefit information to the device 1000 via at least one of SMS orMMS. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.Further, the terminal of the member store may provide the benefitinformation to the device 1000 via a WiFi network.

The card selection unit 1300 may automatically select a card to be usedin a settlement based on a display mode, or may select the card based ona received user input. For example, when the display mode of the device1000 is the vertical view mode, the card selection unit 1300 mayautomatically select a card to be used in a settlement without receivinguser input. When the display mode of the device 1000 is the horizontalview mode, the card selection unit 1300 may display a list ofrecommended cards to be used in a settlement on the screen of the device1000 and may select a card based on a received user input. However, thepresent exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. In particular, thecard selection unit 1300 may select a card to be used in a settlementbased on a received user input when the display mode of the device 1000is the vertical view mode, and may select the card without receivinguser input when the display mode of the device 1000 is the horizontalview mode.

The device 1000 may display a recommended list of cards to be used in asettlement on an unlock screen of the device 1000. For example, an imageof a recommended card may be displayed on an unlock button displayed onthe unlock screen of the device 1000. However, the present exemplaryembodiment is not limited thereto.

In this case, if a user selects a card image which is displayed on theunlock screen of the device 1000, a user interface which facilitatesuser input of a PIN for a selected card may be displayed. However, thepresent exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. If a user touches acard image displayed on the unlock screen of the device 1000, the device1000 may recognize a fingerprint of a user based on a touch input of theuser, and may unlock the device 1000 based on the recognized fingerprintin order to perform a settlement.

If a user selects a card image which is displayed on the unlock screenof the device 1000, the device 1000 may also authenticate the user basedon the user's image and voice. For example, the device 1000 mayphotograph a user's face, and may determine whether the photographeduser is a user of a card which is displayed on the unlock screen of thedevice 1000 based on the photograph. In addition, for example, thedevice may recognize a user's iris in order to authenticate the user. Inaddition, the device 1000 may record a user's voice in order toauthenticate the user based on the recorded voice.

If a user selects a predetermined card in the recommended card list, thedevice 1000 may display a settlement window which corresponds to theselected card on the screen of the device 1000. The settlement windowwhich is displayed on the screen of the device 1000 may include, forexample, any one or more of card information, coupon information, asettlement amount, and a PIN code input field. In addition, a user mayinput a PIN code of the selected card to the PIN code input field sothat settlement via the selected card may be authenticated.

If the settlement via the selected card is safely performable, a portionor the whole settlement window may be displayed in a predeterminedcolor. The device 1000 may determine whether settlement informationwhich relates to the selected card may be safely transmitted to the POSterminal 2000 and the settlement server 3000, and may display thesettlement window in a color which has previously been set by a userwhen a determination is made that the settlement information may besafely transmitted. The device 1000 may receive authenticationinformation from the POS terminal 2000 and the settlement server 3000 todetermine whether the settlement information which relates to theselected card may be safely transmitted to the POS terminal 2000 and thesettlement server 3000. However, the present exemplary embodiment is notlimited thereto.

The card information providing unit 1400 provides card information whichrelates to the selected card. In this case, the card informationproviding unit 1400 may provide the card information to the POS terminal2000 through a LAN. The card information providing unit 1400 may provideinformation which relates to any one or more of a card number, theexpiration date of a card, and a PIN of a card to the POS terminal 2000.However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

Further, the card information providing unit 1400 may determine whethera coupon corresponding to the selected card is stored in the device1000, and may provide the card information which relates to the selectedcard and coupon information stored in the device 1000 to the POSterminal 2000. In this case, the POS terminal 2000 may settle an amountreflecting the coupon information via the settlement server 3000 byusing the card information and the coupon information. However, thepresent exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

The memory 1500 stores various pieces of information that the device1000 may use in order to select a suitable card based on varioussettlement environments and in order to provide card information whichrelates to the selected card to the POS terminal 2000. The memory 1500may store information which relates to respective priorities of cardswhich correspond to the various settlement environments and prioritiesof the various environments.

The transceiver 1600 transmits and/or receives the various pieces ofinformation, which the device 1000 may use in order to select a suitablecard based on the various settlement environments, and the cardinformation which relates to the selected card to or from the POSterminal 2000 and the settlement server 3000.

The controller 1700 controls the overall operation of the device 1000.The controller 1700 controls the card information storage unit 1100, thecard history storage unit 1105, the settlement environment informationacquisition unit 1200, the card selection unit 1300, the cardinformation providing unit 1400, the memory 1500, and the transceiver1600 so that the device 1000 may select a suitable card based on thevarious settlement environments and may provide card information whichrelates to the selected card to the POS terminal 2000. Further, thecontroller 1700 may display a settlement window for a card that isrecommended by the device 1000 or selected by a user, and may displaycard information variably based on a display mode of the device 1000.

The controller 1700 may match location information of the device 1000with a card, and may recommend a predetermined card according to alocation of the device. In addition, the controller 1700 may extract astore name from user's schedule information and may match apredetermined card to an extracted store name.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a device 1000, according to anotherexemplary embodiment.

A mobile communication unit 1001 performs call setting and datacommunication with a base station via a cellular network, such as a 3rdgeneration (3G) or 4th generation (4G) cellular network. Asub-communication unit 1002 performs local communication, such asBluetooth or near field communication (NFC). A broadcasting unit 1003receives a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) signal.

A camera unit 1004 includes a lens and optical devices that may be usedfor taking pictures or videos.

A sensor unit 1005 may include any one or more of a gravity sensor thatsenses a motion of the device 1000, an illuminance sensor that sensesthe brightness of light, a proximity sensor that senses a proximitydegree of a person, and a motion sensor that senses a motion of aperson.

A GPS receiving unit 1006 receives a GPS signal from a satellite.Various services may be provided to users by using the received GPSsignal.

An input and output unit 1010 provides an interface with an externaldevice or a user. The input and output unit 1010 includes a button 1011,a microphone 1012, a speaker 1013, a vibration motor 1014, a connector1015, and a keypad 1016.

A touch screen 1018 receives a touch input of a user. The touch inputmay include, for example, a touch input which is created by performing adrag gesture, or a touch input which is created by performing a tapgesture. A touch screen controller 1017 transmits the touch input whichis received via the touch screen 1018 to a controller 1050. A powersupply 1019 is connected to a battery or an external power source inorder to supply power to the device 1000.

The controller 1050 selects a card based on a settlement environment byexecuting one or more programs which are stored in a memory 1060, andprovides card information which relates to the selected card to the POSterminal 2000.

The programs stored in the memory 1060 may be classified into aplurality of modules based on functions thereof. In particular, theprograms stored in the memory 1060 may be classified into a mobilecommunication module 1061, a WiFi module 1062, a Bluetooth module 1063,a DMB module 1064, a camera module 1065, a sensor module 1066, a GPSmodule 1067, a video reproducing module 1068, an audio reproducingmodule 1069, a power supply module 1070, a touch screen module 1071, auser interface (UI) module 1072, an application module 1073, and/or anyother module which corresponds to a suitable function. One of ordinaryskill in the art may intuitively infer a function of each module fromthe name thereof.

Here, only the application module 1073 is described in detail. Theapplication module 1073 stores respective card information andrespective card history information which corresponds to each card.

Further, the application module 1073 acquires information which relatesto a settlement environment. The application module 1073 uses the WiFimodule 1062, the camera module 1065, the sensor module 1066, and the GPSmodule 1067 to acquire the information which relates to a settlementenvironment. In addition, the application module 1073 may acquire theinformation which relates to a settlement environment from at least oneof the POS terminal 2000 and the settlement server 3000.

The application module 1073 may determine a card to be used in asettlement in an acquired settlement environment by using card benefitinformation and a settlement history.

The application module 1073 may determine priorities of cards for asettlement environment based on any one or more of various criteria,based on a combination of at least one of a settlement time, asettlement location, a settlement purpose, a points accumulation rateaccording to settlement, a points accumulation limit, a discount rateaccording to settlement, and a discount limit. Further, the applicationmodule 1073 may extract a card based on respective priorities ofsettlement environments, and may recommend a card to be used in asettlement by comparing respective benefits of the extracted cards witheach other. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limitedthereto.

The application module 1073 may automatically select a card to be usedin a settlement based on a display mode of the device 1000, or mayselect the card to be used in a settlement based on a received userinput.

The application module 1073 may display a settlement window whichcorresponds to a card that is recommended by the device 1000 or selectedby a user, and may display card information variably based on thedisplay mode of the device 1000.

The application module 1073 transmits card information which relates tothe selected card to the POS terminal 2000. The application module 1073may transmit the card information to the POS terminal 2000 by using atleast one of the mobile communication module 1061, the WiFi module 1062,the Bluetooth module 1063, and an NFC module (not shown).

The application module 1073 may match location information of the device1000 with a card, and may recommend a predetermined card according to alocation of the device 1000. Also, the application module 1073 mayextract a store name from user's schedule information, and may match apredetermined card to an extracted store name.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a device 1000matches location information with card information, according to anexemplary embodiment;

In operation S1400, the device 1000 uses a card via the device 1000. Forexample, the device 1000 may use at least one of a credit card, a pointcard, and a membership card, which are stored in the device 1000.

The device 1000 may use a discount coupon stored in the device 1000. Thedevice 1000 may receive a discount coupon via a short message service(SMS) or a multimedia message service (MMS), and may store the receiveddiscount coupon in the device 1000.

Also, the device 1000 may use a card stored in another device (notshown) of a user using the device 1000 or an external server (notshown).

In operation S1410, the device 1000 acquires location information of thedevice 1000. The location information may include, for example,information about a GPS value of the device 1000 and an identificationvalue of an AP connected to the device 1000. However, the inventiveconcept is not limited thereto.

In operation S1420, the device 1000 matches acquired locationinformation with a card used thereby. The device 1000 may match a cardused thereby with at least one of the GPS value of the device 1000 andthe identification value of the AP connected to the device 1000. Also,the device 1000 may match a discount coupon used thereby with at leastone of the GPS value of the device 1000 and the identification value ofthe AP connected to the device 1000. In this case, the discount couponmay be included in text messages received from another device or theexternal server by the device 1000. However, the inventive concept isnot limited thereto. In addition, the device 1000 may match a phonenumber of the other device or the external server, which provides thediscount coupon, with at least one of the GPS value of the device 1000and the identification value of the AP connected to the device 1000.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a device 1000recommends a card based on location information, according to anexemplary embodiment.

In operation S1500, the device 1000 acquires location information of thedevice 1000. For example, the device 1000 may acquire an GPS valueindicating a location of the device 1000 by using a GPS sensor in thedevice 1000. In addition, the device 1000 may check a location of thedevice 1000 by using the identification value of the AP connected to thedevice 1000.

In operation S1510, the device 1000 extracts a card corresponding to thelocation of the device 1000. For example, the device 1000 may extract acard corresponding to the GPS value indicating a location of the device1000 or the identification value of the AP connected to the device 1000.The device 1000 may extract at least one of a credit card, a membershipcard, and a point card, which correspond to the location of the device1000. In addition, the device 1000 may extract a discount coupon or atext message including a discount coupon, which corresponds to thelocation of the device 1000.

When a plurality of cards are extracted, the device 1000 may recommend acard which a user frequently uses from among the extracted cards, basedon a card use history of the user. The device 1000 may recommend a cardproviding a high discount rate or a high accumulation rate from amongthe extracted cards, based on a card use history of the user.

In operation S1520, the device 1000 displays an extracted card on ascreen of the device 1000. When a plurality of cards are extracted, thedevice 1000 may arrange the extracted cards based on a discount rate oran accumulation rate. The device 1000 may display a discount coupon or atext message including a discount coupon, as well as the extracted card.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a device 1000matches a store name extracted from user's schedule information with acard, according to an exemplary embodiment.

In operation S1600, the device 1000 acquires user's scheduleinformation. The device may acquire the user's schedule informationstored in the device 1000 via a calendar application installed in thedevice 1000. The user's schedule information stored in the device 1000via a calendar application installed in the device 1000 may be scheduledata that is matched to a predetermined date of the calendar and isstored in the device 1000. The device 1000 may receive user's scheduleinformation stored in a server from the server.

In S1610, the device 1000 extracts a store name from the user's scheduleinformation. For example, when information “a meeting with my friend inan XX department store at 18:00 on April 15” is included in the user'sschedule information, the device 1000 may extract the “XX departmentstore” from the user's schedule information. In this case, variousstores' names may be stored in the device 1000 or the server in advance,and the device 1000 may extract the “XX department store” from theuser's schedule information based on the stored various stores' names.

In operation S1620, the device 1000 may determine a card related to theextracted store name. The device 1000 may determine a card related to anextracted store name from among a credit card, membership card, andpoint card of a user. The card related to the extracted store name maybe a card to which benefits, such as discount, coupons, and points, areprovided when the card is used in a store having the extracted storename.

The device 1000 may determine a discount coupon related to the extractedstore name from among discount coupons of a user. The discount couponrelated to the extracted store name may be a discount coupon that can beused in a store having the extracted store name.

When a plurality of cards are determined, the device 1000 may recommenda card which a user frequently uses from among the determined cards,based on a card use history of the user. The device 1000 may recommend acard providing a high discount rate or accumulation rate from among thedetermined cards, based on a card use history of the user.

In operation S1630, the device 1000 matches an extracted store name witha determined card. In addition, the device 1000 may match the extractedstore name with a determined discount coupon. The device 1000 maycorrect location information related to a store name, and may store thecorrected location information. In this case, the location informationrelated to a store name may include, for example, a GPS value indicatinga location of a store, an identification value of a POS terminal (e.g.,the POS terminal 200 of FIG. 1) of the store, and an identificationvalue of an AP installed in the store. However, the inventive concept isnot limited thereto.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart which illustrates a method by which a device 1000displays card information about a card matched to a predetermined storename, according to an exemplary embodiment.

In operation S1700, the device 1000 determines a store name in which acard will be used. The device 1000 may acquire a GPS value indicatingthe current location of the device 1000, and may determine a store namecorresponding to the acquired GPS value as a store name in which a cardwill be used. In addition, the device 1000 may receive an identificationvalue of an AP connected to the device 1000 from the AP, and maydetermine a store name corresponding to the received identificationvalue of the AP as a store name in which a card will be used. In thiscase, the identification value of the AP may include, for example, aservice set identifier (SSID) of the AP and a media access control (MAC)address of the AP. However, the inventive concept is not limitedthereto. The device 1000 may receive a store name from a user, and maydetermine the received store name as a store name in which a card willbe used.

The device 1000 may receive a store name from a POS terminal (e.g., thePOS terminal 200 of FIG. 1), and may determine the received store nameas a store name in which a card will be used. In addition, the device1000 may receive an identification value of the POS terminal from thePOS terminal, and may determine a store name corresponding to theidentification value of the POS terminal as a store name in which a cardwill be used.

In operation S1710, the device 1000 extracts a card matched to thedetermined store name. For example, the device 1000 may extract at leastone of a credit card, a membership card, and a point card, whichcorrespond to the determined store name. The device 1000 may extract adiscount coupon or a text message including a discount coupon, whichcorresponds to the determined store name.

In operation S1720, the device 1000 displays an extracted card on ascreen of the device 1000. When a plurality of cards are extracted, thedevice 1000 may arrange the extracted cards based on a discount rate oran accumulation rate. The device 1000 may display a discount coupon or atext message including a discount coupon, as well as the extracted card.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a card related toa location of a device 1000 or a store name is displayed on a screen ofthe device 1000, according to an exemplary embodiment.

For example, when the device 1000 is located in an “XX departmentstore”, the device 1000 may display an “XX credit card”, an “XX pointcard”, and an “discount coupon of XX department store” on the screen ofthe device 1000, based on location information of the device 1000 or astore name determined in the device 1000.

The one or more exemplary embodiments may be embodied as a transitory ornon-transitory computer-readable recording medium, e.g., a programmodule to be executed in computers, which include computer-readablecommands. The computer-readable recording medium may include any usablemedium that may be accessed by computers, volatile and non-volatilemedia, and detachable and non-detachable media. Also, thecomputer-readable recording medium may include a computer storage mediumand a communication medium. The computer storage medium includes all ofvolatile and non-volatile media, and detachable and non-detachable mediathat are designed to store information including computer readablecommands, data structures, program modules, and/or other data. Thecommunication medium may include any one or more of computer-readablecommands, a data structure, a program module, and other transmissionmechanisms, and may include other information transmission mediums.

The present inventive concept may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as being limited to theexemplary embodiments set forth herein; rather, these exemplaryembodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the present inventive concept tothose of ordinary skill in the art. For example, configuring elementsthat are singular forms may be executed in a distributed fashion, andalso, configuring elements that are distributed may be combined and thenexecuted.

While the present inventive concept has been particularly shown anddescribed with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes inform and details may be made therein without departing from the spiritand scope of the present inventive concept as defined by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for recommending, by a mobile phone, acard to be used in a settlement, the method comprising: acquiringinformation which relates to benefits of a plurality of cards applied toa store; determining, by the mobile phone, a card to be used in thesettlement from among the plurality of cards, based on the acquiredinformation which relates to the benefits of the plurality of cardsapplied to the store; displaying an interface on a screen of the mobilephone to enter authentication information in a locked state of screen;performing a settlement with the determined card while the screenremains in the locked state of screen; and providing settlementinformation which relates to the determined card to a point of sale(POS) terminal.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquiring theinformation which relates to the benefits of the plurality of cardsapplied to the store comprises acquiring information which relates to alocation of the mobile phone, and the determining the card comprisesdetermining the card to be used in the settlement based on the acquiredinformation which relates to the location of the mobile phone.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining the card comprises extractingcards which relate to a settlement environment based on a card usehistory, comparing respective benefits of the extracted cards with eachother, and using a result of the comparing to determine a recommendationwith respect to a card to be used in the settlement.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the card use history comprises at least one of a cardnumber, a settlement time, a settlement date, a settlement location, anda name of goods.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein an image of the cardwhich relates to the determined recommendation is displayed on an unlockscreen of the mobile phone, and the determining the card comprisesdetermining the card based on a received user input which relates to thecard image displayed on the unlock screen of the device.
 6. The methodof claim 3, wherein when the settlement to be conducted by using thedetermined card is safely performable, at least a portion of asettlement window of the determined card is displayed in a predeterminedcolor.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receivinginformation which relates to goods from the POS terminal, wherein thereceived information which relates to the goods comprises at least oneof a current date, a current time, an expiration date of the goods, anidentification value of the goods, a cost of the goods, and anidentification value of a member store which corresponds to the POSterminal.
 8. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining adisplay mode of the mobile phone, wherein the determining the cardcomprises determining whether to display a list of recommended cards ona screen of the mobile phone based on the determined display mode andselecting a card to be used in the settlement based on a received userinput which relates to the displayed list of recommended cards.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the display mode comprises at least one of ahorizontal view mode and a vertical view mode.
 10. The method of claim7, wherein the receiving the information which relates to the goods fromthe POS terminal comprises receiving the information which relates tothe goods from the POS terminal via near field communication (NFC), andthe providing the settlement information which relates to the determinedcard comprises providing the settlement information to the POS terminalvia NFC.
 11. A mobile phone for recommending a card to be used in asettlement, the mobile phone comprising: a storage configured to storeinformation of a plurality of cards; at least one processor configuredto: acquire information which relates to benefits of the plurality ofcards applied to a store; determine a card to be used in the settlement,based on the acquired information which relates to the benefits of theplurality of cards applied to the store; a display configured to displayan interface on a screen of the mobile phone to enter authenticationinformation in a locked state of screen; wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to: perform the settlement with thedetermined card while the screen remains in the locked state of screen;and provide settlement information which relates to the selected card toa point of sale (POS) terminal.
 12. The mobile phone of claim 11,wherein the processor is further configured to acquire information whichrelates to a location of the mobile phone, and the card selector isfurther configured to determine the card to be used in the settlementbased on the acquired information which relates to the location of themobile phone.
 13. The mobile phone of claim 11, wherein the processor isfurther configured to extract cards which relate to a settlementenvironment based on a card use history, to compare respective benefitsof the extracted cards with each other, and to use a result of thecomparison to determine a recommendation with respect to a card to beused in the settlement.
 14. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein thecard use history comprises at least one of a card number, a settlementtime, a settlement date, a settlement location, and a name of goods. 15.The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein an image of the card which relatesto the determined recommendation is displayed on an unlock screen of themobile phone, and the card selector is further configured to select thecard based on a received user input which relates to the card imagedisplayed on the unlock screen of the mobile phone.
 16. The mobile phoneof claim 13, wherein when the settlement to be conducted by using theselected card is safely performable, at least a portion of a settlementwindow of the selected card is displayed in a predetermined color. 17.The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein the card selector is furtherconfigured to determine whether to display a list of recommended cardson a screen of the phone based on a display mode of the mobile phone,and to select a card to be used in the settlement based on a receiveduser input which relates to the displayed list of recommended cards. 18.The mobile phone of claim 17, wherein the display mode comprises atleast one of a horizontal view mode and a vertical view mode.
 19. Themobile phone of claim 11, wherein the card information provider isfurther configured to provide the settlement information to the POSterminal via near field communication (NFC).
 20. A non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program forexecuting a method for determining, by a mobile phone, a card to be usedin a settlement, the method comprising: acquiring information whichrelates to benefits of a plurality of cards applied to a store;determining, by the mobile phone, a card to be used in the settlementfrom among the plurality of cards, based on the acquired informationwhich relates to the benefits of the plurality of cards applied to thestore; displaying an interface on a screen of the mobile phone to enterauthentication information in a locked state of screen; performing asettlement with the determined card while the screen remains in thelocked state of screen; and providing settlement information whichrelates to the determined card to a point of sale (POS) terminal.